Wisdom From The Grave
by Lolly6
Summary: He clutched his arm remembering the night he received the dark mark, thankful that salvation had been granted him and that he was now on the side of good once again, knowing that she was waiting for him until the end.


Wisdom from the Grave  
  
After all these years it still burned like liquid fire coursing through his body. He was lucky, there were none left who could remember the mistakes he had made in his youth. All were gone all bar one. The dark Lord, the one who must not be name, Tom Marvalo Riddle.  
  
He touched his arm and remembered the pain he had felt as the mark had been burned into his arm. The smell of his flesh as his skin had fizzled away to form the ugly green skull, the calling card of evil. The scream he had managed to subdue through sheer will power still echoed in the emptying chambers of his mind.  
  
Not many people knew that he had been married once, many many years ago. To Mariah Winkelstaff, his childhood sweetheart. It had lasted five years, the most precious years of his life, the ones he lived in even now. Loosing himself in the past, in love, in Mariah's crystal eyes and warm smile.  
  
The day she died was the day, which he thought he had lost himself to darkness. Not believing that good could exist in a world without Mariah. He had watched with a splintering heart holding her hand in his through the hours of the night waiting silently for her impending death.  
  
At Dawn when the first pastel rays broke the horizon she had died, her declaration of eternal love for him the last words which passed through her lips. He had sat there in silence still clutching her cooling hand in his, until the sun was setting in the opposite horizon. He had bent over and placed a chaste kiss on her lips, as he rose he still remembered the view out of the window of the sun setting over the hills and the sunlight shimmering in the water of the lake. He had hated the world in that instance, hated it that it hadn't stopped with Mariah's breath, hated everyone who lived in it as they had carried on as normal, hated whatever god or judge had decided to take his love from him.  
  
He had left the castle then, sneaking away while everyone else was eating, so that he would not have receive anyone sympathy. He didn't need sympathy he needed revenge and he knew of only one person who could help him with that was Tom.  
  
He had known Tom from school, had known even then what he had been capable of. Of course he had never been friends with Tom then, but there had been a respect which existed between them, and he had hopes that this respect could assure him the help which he needed so badly now.  
  
He made his deal with the devil that night, in Riddle mansion, in a private meeting, which had taken place with only himself and Tom present. He still remembered the look of surprise, which had graced Tom's face when he asked to join his ranks. Disbelief, surprise, shock. So many emotions which all stem from the same root.  
  
Tom had agreed to take him in the end and had offered to help bring Mariah back. Claiming that he had found a way to bring people back from the dead. The night before they were to perform the ritual, which Tom had found to bring Mariah back, he had a dream.  
  
He saw her walking down a shadowed corridor towards him, she was wearing pure white silk and surrounded in a bright pure light and carrying a bundle of white lace in which was hidden a sleeping baby. The light was so bright that it had hurt his eyes and he had fallen to his knees in front of her shielding his eyes from the light.  
  
She had told him that darkness was not his route, that if he chose darkness he would loose himself in it. Through the light he would find himself again. It was his destiny to be a protector of innocence. If he chose wrong then he would condemn not only himself but also her and the child and many others to everlasting torment. If he chose right they would live in everlasting bliss.  
  
He had asked her who the child and she had told him that he was the unborn marked warrior of the light, defeater of darkness. She told him that the child would suffer greatly during childhood, that he would find himself broken so many times he would doubt whether he could ever be fixed.  
  
He would loose himself in sorrow, and hate those who loved him, she said that he would need guidance but would turn away from it eventually hating the guider. His rage would fuel him to loose more loved ones then he could count, but his love would conquer all. In the end he would make a choice to live or die and all would rest on his choice.  
  
Listening to the child's destiny he swore that he would help him, even if he lost his life. Mariah had smiled sadly at him and told him that they would not meet for many more years. That the child's parent's had yet to be born, and until his destiny would be fulfilled they would not meet again.  
  
She told him that she would watch over them both and would try to guide him when things got tuff. He had told her that he loved her and he always would. Then had awoken with something he thought he had lost with Mariah's death, Faith in the world, Faith in People and Faith in the power of light.  
  
He had gone to the main room in the riddle mansion, which was subsequently cleared for the meeting. He had told Tom what had happened and what he needed to do, not knowing whether he would be allowed to leave the room let alone rejoin the power of good.  
  
He had been surprised with Tom's reaction though, he had said sadly that he had known that the two could no exist on the same side, the universe would not have allowed it. He had wished him luck and said good-bye, to his friend, his mentor forever from that moment on they would be nothing more then enemies and that is how it had been. Though the respect, which they had held for each other, still existed.  
  
That had been fifty-seven years Sometimes he still thought about that time with Tom, thankful that he had made the right choice, that he had been given a second chance to make things right. But sometimes he wished that he had been able to save Tom from his fate too.  
  
Mariah was his secret, his dream, and her love from the grave kept him going. He looked at his wedding ring, which he wore on a chain remembering the day, which he had been given it. He pushed it quickly under his robes when he heard a knock at the door. And smiled when he saw Minerva's head pop round the door saying,  
  
"Albus, Harry's here to see you."  
  
"Send him in."  
  
He listened to the footsteps of the hero, the marked warrior grow closer. Knowing that time was catching up on him and son he would be with Mariah again. He smiled at the thought and for a split second he smelled a wisp of the perfume, which Mariah had always worn. Knowing that she was still waiting for him gave him the courage to go on, to finish what he had started. He rearranged his face as Harry entered flashing him a twinkling smile and offering him a seat.  
  
Mariah Dumbledore smiled as she looked down on her husband his time was growing closer and closer to the finale, and she was so proud of him. She knew that he had it in him she couldn't wait now until they were reunited. They may have lost 57 years together, but they had eternity to go and she was anticipating each moment of it.  
  
The End. 


End file.
